The Law of Attraction states: I attract to myself, whatever I give my focus, attention, or energy to; whether wanted or unwanted. When this term is mentioned, there are two other alternative theories. One refers to electrostatics dealing with the attraction and repulsion of electric charges. Another is related to the law above, but credits self-fulfilled prophecies where individuals are influenced by anxiety, doubt or worry. By dwelling on ungodly beliefs such as I’m going to get sick, fail or get into an accident, these thoughts become reality. Thus, the law of attraction uses positive and negative thinking to shape what will come to be in the future.

That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed, Mark 1:32.

This same principle can be applied to the spiritual life. Faith is dependent upon conviction, desire and hunger to draw near to God. Those who possess this spiritual attraction will find the time to pray, study the Bible and worship the Lord. When earthly distractions get in the way, attention is steered in other directions resulting in changed priorities. The closer you get to God, the more the Holy Spirit exposes your imperfections like the apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 1:15, claiming to be the greatest sinner of all. Meanwhile, the further you drift apart from God, the better you feel, relying on justification and rationalization to approve of your actions.

The whole town gathered at the door,34 and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was, Mark 1:33-34.

Jesus’ first miracle, turning water into wine during a wedding reception in Cana often overshadow others that followed. After Jesus cast out a demon within a Capernaum synagogue, the people were amazed. According to John Mark, the entire town gathered outside of Simon Peter’s house. The passage above illustrates the law of attraction, drawn to Jesus like groupies flocking to catch a glimpse of their favorite celebrity, professional athlete or rock star. However, in this case Jesus takes the time to cure the sick, drive out demons and heal others with various ailments. May this blog speak to your heart as your strive to become like the citizens of Capernaum, eager to wait upon the Lord to be healed.

My father played college football at the University of Pennsylvania from 1961 to 1964. At this time, the Philadelphia Eagles played their home games at Franklin Field, the Quakers stadium on campus. My father got to know some of these players, fresh off the 1960 championship team led by Norm Van Brocklin on offense and Tommy McDonald on the defensive side. Human nature suggested another championship was close, possibly just around the corner, yet none came while my dad was a college student living in Philadelphia.

When the team that you are on or cheer for is not victorious, losing takes its toll. If seasons lead to decades and decades to half centuries, negative thoughts turn fans into cynics. This loser mentality causes individuals to expect the worst, turning self fulfilled prophecies into reality. Perhaps this may explain why national sports writers labeled the city of Philadelphia, negadelphia. As this championship drought continued for 57 years, people struggling with self-esteem issues adopted the Cowboys, Patriots, Steelers or 49ers as their team. This front runner mentality further alienated diehard Eagles fans from those who jumped off the Wentz Wagon after Carson’s season ending injury.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose, Romans 8:28.

Yet, it took a Christian head coach, Doug Peterson, a man of faith who painted a vision that his team began to embrace to lead the way. Fellow believers, Carson Wentz and Nick Foles, took turns passing the baton as quarterback, from one to the other, putting the team in front of selfish ambitions. Thus, this group of under dogs did what the experts said was impossible, to beat the greatest coach and quarterback combination of all time. When the clock finally struck zero after Tom Brady’s Hail Mary pass feel incomplete in Super Bowl 52, what Philadelphia fans dreamed of, hoped for and prayed about came true. By the grace of God, the Philadelphia Eagles are finally a champion.

The Adventures of Pinocchio was first published in 1883 by Italian author Carlo Collodi. Disney released the animated version of Pinocchio in 1940. This puppet created by the woodcarver Geppetto serves as the protagonist of this film. Magically brought to life, Pinocchio discovers a shocking reality about truth. Each time Pinocchio tells a lie, the size of his nose immediately grows. This standard has been adopted by members of the media to illustrate the honest from those who distort the truth.

Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight, Proverbs 12:22.

Unfortunately, when you place a camera in front of most politicians, exaggerations, fake outrage and misleading statements flow. When you add political talking points to this equation, the concept of cable news panels is becoming a pointless exercise. If experts, guests and hosts are merely going to regurgitate what their side believes to be true, all you have each night in America for evening news is political spin, often void of truth. This cycle goes on and on with too many Pinocchios and not enough average Joes.

A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will perish, Proverbs 19:9.

In his 1990 album The Great Exchange, Bruce Carroll released the song Average Joe. The lyrics refer to an average American family at the time, hard working, church attending and God fearing. The chorus sings about the power of God flowing through the lives of averages Joes. Back in the early nineties, this song was considered normal, socially acceptable. Nearly, thirty years later, progressive ideas has labeled this concept as divisive, judgmental and non-inclusive. Unless modern Pinocchios are exposed, held accountable and removed from power, average families are in danger of disappearing, shamed into conforming to the ways of the world.

In the minutes leading up to your lunch break or end of the day bell, signs of procrastination come forth. To pass the time, there is a temptation to remain idle, delaying or loitering as much as possible without being noticed. Others who are forced to endure deadlines, wait until the last possible moment to begin, relying on adrenaline to finish on time. This pattern may be effective for some, but after any failure in life, guilt tends to prompt individuals to consider a change, turning procrastination into desire.

The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied, Proverbs 13:4.

In the book Communicating with a Purpose, procrastination is the fourth barrier to effective communication. After rejection, indifference and skepticism, the last two hurdles to clear are procrastination and fear. The author uses dreaming as a technique to help people visualize success. When a group or audience fails to act immediately, remind each person of the ideal outcome, what could be or should be if desire is exercised. Once inspiration is conceived, motivated hearts can turn procrastination into desire.

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is, Ephesians 5:15-17.

After spending a year and a half in Corinth, the apostle Paul had a limited schedule. Thus, his stay in Ephesus is brief, eager to maximize his time with Jewish converts to Christianity. During his short stint, Paul reassures this new church that if you commit to the apostles teaching, following the blue print found within Acts 2:42-47, success is possible. Seizing each day, Paul was driven to cast out any thought of procrastination with desire fueled by faith. May this blog help you resuscitate hope, joy and the motivation to change for the better.

When I was young and stupid, I relied on bragging to prove that I could do something. When challenged, I was often exposed as my cocky words could not be backed up by actions. Subsequently, God used disappointment, humiliation and failure to allow me to mature. While I never lost my passion and zeal for competition, I tried to let my play speak for itself in college. Although I didn’t win every intramural championship, I believed in my heart that victory was attainable. There was no doubt about it,

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men, Matthew 28:2-4.

In recent years, telling the truth is like an animal on the endangered species list. Some people want to win so badly that exaggerating, fibbing and spreading rumors is all part of the process. This destructive climate has poisoned politicians with misleading ads, slandering their opponents, hoping the general public will be persuaded to believe these lies. If you have the cable news, newspapers and social media on your side, the lives of innocent people can be ruined, left like road kill along the shoulder of a highway.

While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened.12 When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money,13 telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’14 If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.”15 So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day, Matthew 28:11-15.

As I am finishing my study of the Gospel of Matthew, I uncovered a similar first century plot. Fearful the chief priest, Pharisees and religious leaders would lose their political power, they paid off Roman soldiers to spread false reports. Despite the presence of zombies, the bodies of holy men and women from the past roaming the streets of Jerusalem for over a month, a corrupt scheme eventually halted the truth. As a former high school Bible teacher, I come across secular films trying to discredit the Bible like this first century bribe. Yet, when I research, study and watch these theories, I have come to one simple solution. There is no doubt about the life, death, resurrection and ascension into heaven by Jesus Christ our Lord.

Twenty years ago, the best man in my wedding convinced me that it was a good idea to purchase my first life insurance plan. With my wife’s blessing, I agreed as this friend was also an insurance agent, excited to have me as one of his first clients. Well, I made it to age 48, causing my policy to come up for renewal in January. As a reward for out living this, I received a letter in the mail. To my surprise, the cost of my next plan has tripled, suggesting that keeping me as a customer may be too risky. This shocking reality has opened my eyes to the cost of life.

For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? – Luke 14:28

If you have a calculator with you or is easily available, jot down a couple of numbers before you start adding up everything. What do you annually pay for auto insurance, cable, electric, food, gas, health insurance, internet, phone and water? Before you get any more depressed, starting estimating the price of life for just one year on earth. Perhaps, this may explain why adults are leaving civilization to begin living off the grid. Those addicted to modern inventions are stuck flipping the bill to the cost of this life.

Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith, Hebrews 13:7.

Growing up as a teenager, the Price is Right was my favorite game show, watching this on sick days or reruns after school. While I understand the concept of this popular show, somewhere along the way the price of life has gotten out of control, no longer right. The thought of waiting for a bus, living without a cell phone or foregoing internet access seems unbearable. Yet, if you want to reclaim your freedom from the almighty dollar, you might want to begin making plans to purge yourself from unneeded distractions that inflate the cost of life.

To promote higher forms of thinking in education, Dr. Benjamin Bloom introduced six learning domains in 1956. Each domain serves as a building block, applying knowledge one level at a time. Today, Bloom’s Taxonomy uses remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating and creating to ensure that words spoken in classrooms don’t fall upon deaf ears. On the spiritual side of knowledge, D. James Kennedy developed Evangelism Explosion in the 1970’s so that individuals introduced to the Bible would go beyond just knowing. One of the terms Kennedy crafted within training materials is mere intellectual assent. This theological saying refers to people who knows something to be true within their minds but doesn’t act upon this information. According to the brother of Jesus, faith without deeds is dead, resulting in a shallow foundation, susceptible to being completely uprooted by schemes of the Devil.

You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder, James 1:19.

Belief is based upon awareness to something that makes sense or convincing evidence which gives credence to what you thought to be true. The closer one gets toward the truth, doubt slowly disappears. However, if the source for what you believe contains contradictions, inconsistencies and misleading statements, faith will be stunted. Jesus’ earthly brother James brings up a valid point when considering belief in the passage above. Merely believing in God doesn’t make you special as even demons, servants of the Devil acknowledge this fact. Thus, if you regularly attend church, give a monthly tithe and strive to do good works, this is a good start but not the top of the mountain. The author of one New Testament book dedicates an entire chapter, Hebrews 11 to illustrate what genuine belief looks like, faith in action.

Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it, John 14:10-14.

If Benjamin Bloom were to create spiritual learning domains today, knowing, believing and claiming would suffice for the initial three stages. Early in the first century the illiteracy rate was high, forcing the uneducated to rely on hearing rather than reading. Romans 10:17 reveals that churches gathered together in homes, synagogues or down by a river to publicly read out loud parts of the Old Testament and available letters written by apostles. Meanwhile, James 1:22-27 encourages individuals to become doers of the Word, practicing belief. Sensing religion is worthless without applying what you believe, James urges his audience to care for orphans and widows. The final level of faith is introduced by Jesus in the passage above. If you know and believe, claiming God’s promises is the next logical step. This spiritual exercise is accomplished through praying over passages of the Bible. Depending upon what you are dealing with, modern technology can give you a verse in seconds with a click of a mouse, providing a powerful weapon. Those who mature from knowing to believing and onto claiming may begin to experience untapped potential, taking Jesus at his word to bless those who believe. I pray that these words inspire you to take your faith to the next level by claiming God’s promises in prayer.